Medical Students

Subspecialty Careers: Cardiovascular Disease/Cardiology

The Discipline

From the Greek kardia, meaning heart, as used in the Hippocratic treatises.

Cardiology is the prevention, diagnosis, and management of disorders of the cardiovascular system, including ischemic heart disease, cardiac dysrhythmias, cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease, pericarditis and myocarditis, endocarditis, congenital heart disease in adults, hypertension, and disorders of the veins, arteries, and pulmonary circulation. Management of risk factors for disease and early diagnosis and intervention for established disease are important elements of cardiology.

Training

Cardiovascular fellowship training requires three years of accredited training beyond general internal medicine residency. Of the three years, a minimum of 24 months must include clinical training in the diagnosis and management of a broad spectrum of cardiovascular disease.

Training Positions

For the 2013-2014 academic year, there are 191 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited training programs in Cardiovascular Disease and 2,632 active trainees.